The Akatsuki Heist
by Jack Taffer
Summary: The Akatsuki are in needs of funds and are about to break into a major vault in the fire country.Part 1 of 2.


**The Akatsuki Heist**

The members of Akatsuki had recently been working very hard on the overall goal of the organisation. Two jinchuurikies had already been caught and a few others had already been located and it was only a matter of time before they were within their cold grasp. Due to these recent successes Al felt that it was important to round up the members and congratulate them on the work that they had done so far. However, there was also another reason to call the meeting, which could be very beneficial to the group. Everyone was then summoned to their usual meeting area, a large cave.

It wasn't the most ideal location, but it was secure and out of the way, none of the members appreciated spending time there but all understood that this lack of comfort would only be temporary. For this particular get together all would be present in their physical bodies, which meant that a few were going to be late and this was the case with Hidan and Kakuzu, much to the irritation of the more punctual members, including Itachi. Such meetings were usually reserved for major changes to the organisation, including the expulsion of members or the initiation of new ones. As Al had been rather vague in his messages the members' general consensus was that another was being added to their ranks.

During the wait for Hidan and Kakuzu the other members were standing in various parts of the cave and talking to their respective partners. These weren't the most sociable ninja out there and Al questioned the ability of the entire group to work together. This was something which could be a major issue as he knew once their plan reached its climax a major battle could face them. They all seemed to respect each others abilities but Al was worried about dissention in the camp, if members started to fall out with one another the whole plan could fall apart. His fears weren't eased either when Hidan and Kakuzu eventually arrived. Itachi had obviously given some sort of indication to Kisame regarding his displeasure at their late arrival as he tightened the grip on his sword and gave the pair a hard stare. Sasori and Deidara were so deep in conversations that they didn't even notice their arrival.

The cave had some seating in the form of large stones which were arranged in a semi circle near the centre of it. Al moved into his usual position which was standing in front of the stones, once everyone noticed this they all sat down, apart from Zetsu who couldn't. Up until this point none of the members were inquisitive enough to ask Al what the purpose of this meeting was, but none were expecting what he was about to say.

"Gentlemen, first I want to congratulate you on the way things are going, we are beyond my expectations in terms of the speed in which these jinchuuriki are being found and caught. It is important to recognize our successes and move beyond some slight failures that may have occurred." Hidan half tilted is head towards the direction of Itachi and gave a wry smile. "But that is not the only reason why I have summoned you here. In order to continue our quick progress I think we need to take some time out from our usual activities in order to focus on the restocking of our funds." The various pairs exchanged glances with each other. "As you know, bribery is very important in the way we operate; our power is obviously millions of miles away from the comprehension of most shinobi but in order to pass through areas without raising suspicion and gaining high class information paying off people has allowed us to remain unnoticed in the eyes of the various Kages' and we need this to continue. I am also worried about the possible lack of team work and this could lead to our downfall that is why I have called this meeting. There exists a central vault where the major countries store a large portion of their money, this is kept in reserve for emergencies and is guarded by high ranking ninja from all of the respective nations. I want you to break in and take all the money that you can without anyone realising who has done it. Even if you take the money but it is known that the Akatsuki has taken it I will regard this as failure. For this particular mission I will be out of sight as I have other deals that need to be attended to, Kakuzu will be in charge of this mission because of his intimate knowledge of the vault, which will be imperative to the success of this mission. We will all reconvene here in exactly 7 days, good luck gentlemen." Al then closed his eyes and vanished from sight as he normally did after speeches.

This situation was entirely alien to the members of Akatsuki who had never worked in large groups in order to complete missions. They did understand its importance though, an actual war could break out and they would need to be able to co operate in order to ensure their overall goal was completed. But there were problems, the members did accept Al as the leader but for this mission he wouldn't even be around. It would be a real challenge for everyone to accept Kakuzu as the leader of this operation, but they all wanted to make this work. If his knowledge was truly valuable to the success of this mission then everyone would understand his appointment.

After Al's disappearance Kakuzu got up from his seat and moved into the position that Al previously occupied. As time was short he needed to start explaining the situation straight away. "I know these are weird circumstances but as the treasurer of Akatsuki I have noticed our lack of funds and I talked to Al about and the possible ways that this situation could be rectified. Once we get this cash the organisation's funds will not have to ever be replenished. Nevertheless, we do not have much time on our hands when pulling off this operation but I have thought about all of the possibilities for a long time now and I know all the details of that place." The members seemed to be growing restless and this was noticeable to Kakuzu. "Settle down, let me just say a few more points and we can stop for today. First the vault is located in the fire country, because of that I have set up a safe house there and we all need to meet there tomorrow, give me your maps and I will mark down the location. Secondly, before anything gets blown out of proportion, Deidara, myself and Hidan have known for a while that this mission was going to happen but that was simply in order to get certain things in place. It will probably take 2 days to reach there so that is the time frame that we have, but no one can be there any later, that goes for both me and Hidan. Now, with that out of the way just come up here and show me your maps that will be all."

The map bearing members got up straight away and all huddled around Kakuzu whilst the others waited. This was a short incident and once all the maps were checked and everyone knew where they were going to various pairs set off on their respective paths. This probably wasn't the most ideal preparations but once everyone made it to the safe house the plan could be elaborated.

Itachi and Kisame were the first on the move, they wanted to waste as little time as possible getting there it seemed. Zetsu would undoubtedly be the first there and dissolved into the ground. Deidara and Sasori strolled out of the cave and didn't look to be in a rush. Hidan and Kakuzu were the last to leave the cave; they knew the quickest route to get there so they didn't need to hurry.

None of the members would have any trouble in arriving at the safe house and as Zetsu was the first there he decided to scope out the surrounding area, just to be sure that no one knew of the location. There were no incidents worthy of note on the travels of the Akatsuki, except for a conversation between Sasori and Deidara. "How long have you known about this? I cannot believe you didn't tell me." "Danna, you never tell me anything about your secret meetings so why should I have to tell you about something you will eventually find out, hmm?" Sasori was very annoyed about Deidara's knowledge of the mission, as he is the dominant one out of the two, being left out of the loop really got to him. "Well, it turns out that I have to meet with an informant, seems like I won't be participating in this farce." "Al is going to be angry with you." "I don't care; see you after your little mission." With that Sasori left and the first major snag of the mission occurred.

The hideout itself was a surprisingly large wooden house which was located just inside the border of the fire country. Generally such safe houses are located near borders because if things go wrong they can make a quick escape into a neighbouring country. The house was large enough so that each member could have his own room and also featured large training areas and storage spaces. Kakuzu had ensured its completion coincided with the previous meeting that they had, the longer the house stayed up the longer it could be detected. Once all the members made it to the safe house certain measures could be taken to ensure that it was not spotted by any outsiders. Itachi was asked to perform some genjutsu to the house; this meant that anyone looking at it would just see a continuation of the forest. Zetsu would also keep a look out, just in case some particular skilled ninja happened to be in the area.

The first meeting took place shortly after everyone was present and Itachi finished securing the house. Everyone sat down on the floor of one of the training areas and listened to what the standing Kakuzu had to say. "I am sure that you have all noticed that fact that Sasori isn't here, by the sounds of things he won't be joining us on this mission. This is a problem; we need one more person in order to carry this off successfully. I know things have already gotten off to a bad start but I want to get this out of the way. Does anyone here know of someone solid, reliable and will able to fill in the void of Sasori?" the Akatsuki generally keep quite a distance between themselves and the various informants and spies that they have operate underneath them. This is to ensure that those individuals can carry out their tasks without being suspected; Kakuzu knew this and was apprehensive about the answers to the solution that his fellow members would give. However he was in a bit of a surprise when Zetsu gave his suggestion. "I know someone who will perfectly fit this role; in fact he is someone who I want to recommend for full membership. But I suppose that is something for another day." Kakuzu and the others were intrigued by this development. Kisame asked, "Who is he?" "His name is Tobi and I am sure he will be able to contribute to the success of this mission." Kakuzu knew that he wouldn't have time to get into the details about Tobi's skills, but he wanted to know something. "Can you tell us anything about him?" Zetsu replied, "He's a good boy." Deidara slapped his own face softly and sighed, the others were not too impressed either.

"Okay…he will have to do, get him down here as fast as you can, which should be within the day." Zetsu left the meeting and would return later with the mysterious Tobi. "Now in order to try and make things move as smoothly as they can for the actual day we need to do a lot of work. Because of this I am going to divide us all up into different pairs and have us all carry out various tasks. The new pairs will be: myself and Kisame, Itachi and Hidan, Zetsu and Deidara and Tobi will be on his own. Once Zetsu comes back we will all reconvene here, but in the mean time we may as well get used to our new partners for this mission. Meeting adjured."

There was not much interaction between the new pairs, Kakuzu knew that once everyone was assigned their tasks things would go more smoothly, luckily Zetsu wasn't gone a long time and upon his arrival things could really get started.

Kakuzu announced the fact that Zetsu had returned, everyone went back into the training room where the previous meeting took place and waited to see Tobi. When he and Zetsu eventually came into the room people seemed surprised by his appearance but Itachi felt that he seemed familiar somehow. His orange mask, raven hair and bolts in his body like he was put together seemed somewhat recognisable. He even seemed to have a clumsy manner as he knocked into the doorframe during his entrance. All these little pieces pointed Itachi to one direction. "Frankenstein?" Everyone looked at Itachi but he remained silent so they assumed he was making a little comment to himself.

As if everyone didn't already know the fact that the new individual before the group was Tobi, the announcement was made by Zetsu anyway. "This is the fellow I was talking about, he will be sure to serve us well and I have already informed him of everything that Kakuzu has so graciously told us."

Kakuzu was pleased that the people participating in the mission had finally been assembled but a day was wasted in finding a replacement for Sasori. Due to that unfortunate and unforeseen circumstance time was now at a premium and Kakuzu took the opportunity to give each of the various pairs assignments. "Alright, I am going to keep this brief because tomorrow the real work sets in motion and I want you to be prepared to start as early as you can. There is a small town which is near the vault called Takayama and here a lot of the ninja that operate within the vault come to relax and spend their free time. We need to use this opportunity in order to gain information on various things including; the amount of ninja who we are dealing with and where they are all from. Hidan and Itachi will be assigned with this fact finding mission, there is a little hotel there so stay there in order not to arise suspicion, I am sure you will be able to think of a good pretence of being at such a remote location. Kisame, me and you are going to be doing our own research into the vault itself, this is essentially surveillance work. Deidara and Zetsu will be working on the technology side of things, I have already spoken to Deidara about this and as such have prepared work areas specifically for this task, as you know what is expected the fruits of your labour will be shared with the rest at a later date. Finally, Tobi will be used as the lines of communication, he will primarily be based here but will be expected to relay any form of essential information gathered, this way the pairs led by myself and Itachi will have little reason to return here during the next few days. In total we have 5 days left and on the 4th we all need to be here in order to prepare for the assault on the vault. With that said any questions?"

Tobi raised his hand. "I do because you said that everyone is working in a pair except me, so who should I report to?" "Since Zetsu recommended you and will be staying here for the duration, consider him to be in charge of you." Tobi nodded his head and no one else seemed to have any other questions as they were all quite used to doing the various tasks that they had been set, this was nothing new for a group of elite ninja. Kakuzu seemed quite sure that this part of the mission would go smoothly; the hard part would be in the actual execution of the mission. "Well, since everyone knows exactly what has been done I have prepared a map with the key locations so everyone knows exactly where they are going. Also, arranging a meeting point with Tobi should be made as soon as possible, in order to get around this problem initially I have also marked a couple of clearings near to the vault and town in order to have our first respective meetings. Once this has happened I expect a concrete one to be developed in order to ensure that we are not found out. Let's just set a meeting time of 1 AM tomorrow for Tobi's first meeting with Hidan and Itachi and a 3 AM meeting with me and Kisame."

The other's seemed to be impressed with Kakuzu's meticulous planning and began to feel a level of confidence about the mission. "Man, Kakuzu you really have thought of everything, can we expect any other surprises?" Hidan asked in a rather cheeky fashion. "Once this first phase is over I am sure you all will be surprised about what will be available to our disposal. But that is all for today, we have an early start tomorrow and we may not all be meeting for a few days, just remember what I have said and everything will go smoothly."

The first real day of the mission was now into effect and Kisame and Kakuzu were the first to leave. They made their way through the dense forest, heading in a north western direction in order to get near to the vault. Before they got there Kakuzu felt that he should talk to Kisame about what their part of the mission should involve. "Kisame, the vault layout is similar to that of the village of Konoha; essentially there is a perimeter wall which surrounds the actual vault, despite its tallness all of the money is actually located underground. It has one entrance and today I want us to monitor it and see what the security of it is like." Kisame was a bit sceptical of this. "That is too obvious; shouldn't we be looking at other ways to get in?" "Nope, since this isn't for our entrance, this is for our exit, all of us are going to be getting out of here together and the main entrance is perfect for that. Tomorrow we will be analysing our entrance." The vault wasn't too far away and as they approached it the sun was rising.

The vault did have a large perimeter wall around and was too tall to jump over, it was south of Konoha and Kakuzu had speculated that's where most of the supplies would come from, however the main entrance was located on the south wall. There was a large clearing all around the perimeter wall and guard towers on the corner, it seemed rather than monitoring the forest they just focused on the clearings. As the location was so secretive no trouble had happened to the vault so far and it had been in operation since the last great ninja war. Kakuzu and Kisame split up but where not that far apart, Kisame was to a more easterly side where he could monitor the tower on the south east corner and the main entrance whilst Kakuzu was on the westerly side. They agreed to meet at the clearing they arranged with Tobi 30 minutes before he came, this was to discuss what each had found. The meeting point was to the west of the vault, this was because the town of Takayama was to the east of the vault and any meeting place on that side could be dangerous.

From that day of surveillance they found out a number of things, the first is that the guard tower on the east side was looked after by ninjas from Iwagakure (Stone) and the west side ninjas from Sunagakure (Sand) were in charge. There were three rotations during the day on each of the two guard towers. Also, the main gate was opened a number of times for groups of ninjas from the various lands who were either coming or going to Takayama, they certainly seemed to be relaxed. The big point was that the ninjas didn't seem to mix together that much, this could be exploited.

Both Kisame and Kakuzu had similar thoughts about what they saw and discussed the matter quite briefly before Tobi arrived. When he eventually did he came bearing a package from Deidara. Nothing else was needed so Tobi went back. The contents of the package would ensure that the next day's surveillance would be more eventful.

The first day's information gathering for Hidan and Itachi started slightly later than that of the other pair out in the field. They had to change from their now very familiar Akatsuki coat into civilian clothes; this task was particularly annoying to Hidan as his usual style certainly isn't that of a regular person. They left the safe house at the crack of dawn and walked slowly in order to try and get their story straight. "So, Itachi, what exactly are we supposed to be again?"


End file.
